Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Pasta with Squash, Brown Butter and Rosemary

We don't eat a lot of pasta in this house. Not sure why because I do love a good plate of noodles. I think in the past I've gotten the impression that if it doesn't have a good amount of red sauce on it, Abe's not that into it. He does love my spinach lasagna, though, so that's my old standby.

When I saw this recipe, something about it just appealed to me. It looked simple, but tasty. Plus, I had most of the ingredients, which helps when you're 40 weeks pregnant (today is my due date!). I just needed a butternut squash, which I figured would hold if I happened to go into labor before getting a chance to cook dinner (which didn't happen).

At first, Abe was a bit hesitant to call this dish a winner... I think his need-for-sauce bias got in the way. But but the end of the dinner, he exclaimed that it was really tasty. Phew. I, myself, loved it. It has a delicate, yet hardy flavor. It makes for a great break from the red. Adam gobbled his up, too, so this might be a nice dish for our little ones.

An easy way to peel the butternut squash is to cut a little off of each end, so there's a flat spot to stand it up on. Then using a very sharp knife, just run it down the length to remove the skin.

The recipe calls for broken lasagna noodles, which gives the dish a homemade noodle feeling (people will think you're a fabulous cook!). It's also a great way to use up those broken noodles that are almost always in the box. Collect them as you use the whole noodles for other things and you will have enough in no time. Of course, you can use a new box, like I did, and just break them up.

I got this recipe from my Rachael Ray magazine. Photo is mine, for once (loving my new camera!).

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the squash, onion, olive oil and rosemary; season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain and transfer to a large bowl.

3. In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice.

4. Add the roasted squash, brown butter and 1/3 cup parmesan to the pasta and toss; season with salt and pepper. Top with pine nuts and remaining parmesan.